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Google’s Android now No. 1 smartphone platform

Google’s Android dethroned Nokia’s Symbian as the most popular smartphone platform in the last quarter of 2010, ending a reign that began with the birth of the industry 10 years ago.

Research firm Canalys said on Monday phonemakers sold 32.9 million Android-equipped phones in the last quarter, roughly seven times more than a year ago, compared with Symbian’s sales of 31 million.

The phones are produced by manufacturers that include Libertyville-based Motorola Mobility, Samsung and HTC. Get the full story »

Zebra Technologies sheds Navis unit

Lincolnshire-based firm Zebra Technologies Corp. said Monday it has reached an agreement to sell its Navis unit to Finland’s Cargotec Corp. for $190 million in cash.

The sale will result in an after-tax gain of $30 million to $40 million, Zebra management said. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter. Get the full story »

Android tablets closing gap with iPad in 4Q

Bloomberg News | According to Strategy Analytics, Google Android tablet computers made headway against the Apple iPad in the fourth quarter. The Boston-based research firm said Android tablets accounted for 22 percent of global shipments, up from 2.3 percent in the third quarter; iPad shipments were 75 percent, down from 96 percent.

Conn. won’t seek data in Google privacy probe

Connecticut’s attorney general said Friday that Google Inc.  won’t have to hand over user data it collected from unsecured wireless networks as part of his office’s probe of the Internet giant’s privacy snafu.

Atty. Gen. George Jepsen said his office reached a deal with the Internet company that allows him to begin settlement negotiations over whether Google violated state law. Get the full story »

Microsoft shares fall on tablet worries

Microsoft shares fell 3.5 percent on Friday as its better-than-expected profit was overshadowed by worries it is failing to cope with threats from hot areas like tablet computing. Get the full story »

With earnings glow over, Motorola Mobility shares fall

Shares in Motorola Mobility Holdings were down more than 11 percent, to $30.67, Thursday, a day after strong smart phone launches boosted the handset maker’s results in the fourth quarter.

Bloomberg reported Thursday that the imminent arrival of Apple Inc.’s iPhone at Verizon Wireless had slowed sales at Motorola’s biggest carrier.

To blunt the effect, Bloomberg reported, Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Jha said the company is introducing new phones including the Atrix, trying to sell more handsets through other U.S. carriers and bulk up sales in China and Latin America.

Get the full story »

Technical glitch hits some AOL e-mail accounts

Some AOL Inc. customers have suffered problems with their e-mail accounts because of a technical glitch at the company, according to an AOL spokeswoman.

The spokeswoman said AOL’s routine maintenance process caused less than 4 percent of its customers to lose access Monday to some of the messages in their inboxes, and the company is working to fix the problem. Get the full story »

Huawei sues Motorola over technology transfer

Chinese telecommunications company Huawei Technologies Co. sued Motorola and Nokia Siemens Networks Monday, seeking to stop the planned $1.2 billion sale of Motorola’s networks business to the European company.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, marks the first time Huawei has sued a U.S. company. Get the full story »

Google software to end tracking by advertisers

Google has introduced browser software that lets Internet users opt out permanently from ad-tracking cookies.

Google previously introduced an opt-out tool but that software can be lost when users clear their browser cookies.

In a blog post, Google says its newest tool, the Keep My Opt-Outs extension for the company’s Chrome browser, lets people permanently opt out of ad tracking from all companies that offer opt-outs — without compromising ad revenue.

New IRS smart phone app to track tax refunds

The Internal Tax Revenue introduced its first smart phone app on Monday, called IRS2Go, which allows taxpayers to check the status of their refunds and find other tax information.

IRS2Go is a step toward “modernizing the agency and engaging taxpayers where they want when they want it,” the IRS said a press release. Get the full story »

Apple turns another screw on iPhone 4 owners

Apple Inc. is giving a whole new meaning to locking your phone with its new screws.

In line with its infamous philosophy of maintaining absolute control over its products, sources said U.S. Apple stores are replacing screws on iPhone 4s brought for servicing with tamper-proof screws to prevent anyone else from opening the device. Get the full story »

4 HP directors step down amid Hurd controversy

Four members of Hewlett-Packard’s board of directors are stepping down six months after CEO Mark Hurd was forced to resign in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.

The departures come as Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s biggest technology company by revenue, is under fire for its handling of Hurd’s ouster and the size of his severance payout.

Accused iPad hackers deny wrongdoing

An online group implicated in the theft of 100,000 e-mail addresses of Apple iPad users says two of its members arrested Tuesday did nothing wrong.

Daniel Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer face counts of fraud and conspiracy to access a computer without authorization. The counts each carry a five-year maximum prison sentence. Get the full story »

Nintendo glasses-free 3DS to debut March 27

(AP)

Promising to usher in a new era in 3-D entertainment, Nintendo says its glasses-free handheld 3DS will go on sale on March 27 in the U.S. for $250.

That’s the same price that the Wii console cost when it went on sale in 2006.

The president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, said Wednesday the 3DS is a “truly unique experience that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”

The gadget features a touch screen on the bottom and a 3-D screen on top. It has three cameras, one facing the user and two facing outward. The latter two let you take 3-D photos, which can be instantly displayed on the screen. Nintendo Co. says more than 30 games will be available for the 3DS by June.

U.S. to end Boeing border fence project

President Barack Obama’s administration plans to pull the plug on the troubled “virtual fence” project  meant to better guard stretches of the U.S. border with Mexico, a senior lawmaker said Friday.

The project, being run by Boeing Co., has cost about $1 billion  to pull together video cameras, radar, sensors and other technologies to detect smugglers trying to cross the porous border. Get the full story »